“The time has come for our city to prioritize the needs of people over projects, and to deliver real solutions that will make progress attainable and enhance quality of life for all,” Sawyer stated.

“In recognizing previous advancements that have been made to help Memphis move forward and efforts currently underway to guide future growth and improvement, we cannot overlook or forget that there are thousands of children and adults throughout our community whose best interests are not being considered, pursued, or protected.”

Sawyer was elected to the Shelby County Commission as a representative of District 7 in August 2018. She is also the founder of the Take Em Down 901 movement.

Incumbent Memphis Mayor Jim Stickland and former mayor Willie Herenton have also announced their candidacy for the position. The election will be held on Oct. 3.

Strickland said Thursday his record speaks for itself.

"More opportunities for young people, universal pre-k, 18,000 new job, $15 billion in development, improving our city services, rebuilding the police department. All that helping to make momentum in Memphis," Strickland said.

When it come to beating his opponents, Strickland has a simple plan of attack: don't worry about them.

"Nah, I'm not running against any individual. I don't care if i have one opponent or 20. I'm not running against any of them," he said.